The Neglected

Our return visit to Indonesia was made because we felt that the need for aid was needed more in Indonesia than in Malaysia. Our second visit mainly consisted of visiting poor families and individuals.

The areas we visited were Kadunghalang in Bogor and Jajajand in Bandung. In Kadunghalang we assisted some very poor families who were living in extremely bad conditions.

Amongst the homes that we visited was one owned by an elderly couple. The man is 95 years of age and his wife is 74. The condition in which they are living is atrocious. The house is very small and resembles more a shed than a house. The roof is neither stable nor complete, some walls are brick others are reused wood, parts of the house floor are cemented and parts are just earth, some rooms have doors while others have an old cloth or sheet as a substitute, and the whole place had a foul smell.

This is not a lifestyle we would want for ourselves when we grow older, thus we shouldn’t dismiss it so easily on others.

The husband (at 95) still goes to work. what does he do? He collects anything reusable and recyclable from the trash. He makes about $20 a month by collecting recyclable trash. Although they have 11 children, only one pays attention to them and visits them regularly. However, he is also poor and has a family. We offered this couple enough to live on for 2 years. With teary eyes and many thanks, they took the money. May Allah make it easy for them and may He reward all those who donated.

To donate towards the poor and the needy, visit our support the poor and needy page.